Tag Archives: Bernie Sanders

I have been a little thrown, a little confused and a little snippy at what I saw as absolute condescension from Bernie at Hillary by refusing to concede. The Democratic Party has officially endorsed Hillary as the party nominee; but the official Super Delegate vote isn’t until July 25th. True the majority have pledged they will vote for Hillary but Bernie is running on the momentum the popular vote is giving him and betting he can change some of their minds.

My thinking was that he is either overly optimistic; overly confident or just plain arrogant.He had private meetings with Obama before he came out and publicly endorsed Hillary and he has met privately with Secretary Clinton.

I have been expressing the view that Hillary should take Bernie as her VP to guarantee a Democratic win. But hardcore Bernie supporters are usually hardcore Hillary Haters and many of them have emphatically stated that they will not vote for Hillary under any circumstances and many claim they would go one step further than not voting at all and actually vote for Trump. After asking many of them why they matter-of-factly express their contempt for her and even add that they would be angry or at least disappointed in Bernie if he did run with Hillary on the grounds that he would be compromising everything anti-corporate that he stands for. Some friends make the case that Bernie can serve best staying in the Senate; the Vice Presidency is a figurehead office. The VP is basically the voice of or speaker for the President; never his own.

I give weight to all sides of these arguments; but still feel bugged at Bernie for continuing his campaign; unless what Bernie is really up to is this:

He knows many of his supporters will not vote for Hillary; no vote is just as bad and maybe worse than actually voting for Trump. Maybe what he means when he says that he and Hillary are standing together as a party to prevent a Trump Presidency is that instead of running together and risk losing those or maybe more votes he is continuing his campaign because votes for him is better than no votes of Trump votes. He is betting the odds…..I hope he is a lucky gambler.

I feel positive again about America, like I haven’t in a very long time. Like when I went to D.C. a few years ago for the first time. Standing there in front of the Lincoln Memorial and thinking about the character of the man that ended slavery, standing where MLK gave that speech while tears welled up in my eyes feeling what heart that man had; with just absolute awe and the first real Patriotism I think I have ever felt. I also felt deep rooted anger and contempt when I was at the Jefferson Memorial reading the engravings in the massive marble wall that read ‘all men are created equal’ knowing that when he wrote those words he owned hundreds of slaves; even fathering many children born out of his rape. and walking through the Holocaust Museum then going to FDR’s extensive memorial knowing that he did nothing for years while Hitler murdered millions of Jews. I have never read or heard any of the past Presidents speeches really but have listened to hours upon hours and read page after page of Obama’s, Trumps and the past Republican candidates; Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton’s debates, speeches and interviews.

When I am listening to Donald Trump, or Ted Cruz or Ben Carlson I feel, well almost dirty. I feel ashamed and disgusted. Kind of like when looking at the statue of Jefferson or Roosevelt. And all I hear is hate; hate for America or at least disappointment, mistrust and contempt for our President, racial bigotry for him and any other color of person other than white. I hear how fucked up everything in America is; every government program, every political office held by other parties, and how every immigrant is to blame for it all. I hear misogyny outright and I hear the scripture that they refer to as if they were speaking for god. I hear hate.

Hillary speaks with Pride in America, in Obama and herself. She has honor, integrity and a love for this country. What she lacks is that hateful contempt for the institution of government. She makes me stand up a little taller, take a little more pride in this country and gives me an all around sense of glory and a sense of responsibility for our place in the world.

First let me say that I am a Hillary Supporter through and through, have been ever since the United Nations World Conference for Women in 1995, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXM4E23Efvk . Nothing she has done throughout her years as a Senator and her time as Secretary of State has or will change or lose my support. Everything that happened with Bill Clinton and women; the way she did or did not react or publicly deal with his womanizing ways (yes I believe he is or was a womanizer but do not believe he raped or sexually assaulted anyone. Monica was a big girl who by choice gave him that blow job, she was a willing participant.) Though it speaks to Bill’s character, Hillary’s marriage is none of my business; and as far as I know nothing that happened affected her ability to do her job. That being said, Benghazi? I fail to see how she is at fault for anything that happened that day, as far as I know she asked for more money to secure the Americans in the embassy’s that were attacked that day; yes there was more than one. The Americans that died, as sorrowful as that was, they knew the risks when they went there. They put their own lives on the line willingly as part of their job. Now, how the White House handled the press and what the public was told sure their was a lot of questions there but again; I fail to see how that was Hillary’s fault or responsibility.

Let’s get to the emails; I watch CSPAN, not the news. I think for myself by what those in question actually say not what the press or someone else says they said. Repeatedly those who are in charge of the investigation and all those who she answers to said that the use of a private email is not encouraged but it is not prohibited. She is not the first in a secure position to do so. Personally I probably would have done the same thing given how easy Snowden got hold of information, knowing the leaks within the government and such her private email was probably safer. And I have to point out that Congress is insisting she hand over Top Secret information; TOP SECRET being the key words here, most if not all of those asking for those emails don’t have the security clearance to read them. If they or those who side with them can’t find them, don’t know what is in them then she made a wise decision; she has kept them from eyes that are not cleared to see them.

I firmly believe that those asking are desperately trying to find something they can use against her, especially concerning Benghazi because they have so far found nothing to convict of.

Now we get to the election process. I am not arguing that the election process is at the very least flawed, the whole super delegate thing is very unfair; but that is not Hillary’s fault, she didn’t and isn’t the one responsible for it.

Many of those that hate her do so on the grounds that she is corrupt; that she is bought and paid for, that she caters to the 1%, that she is against the working class. I don’t see it that way; but admittedly I do not know how or who invests or donates to her that is corrupt or unethical. Is she wealthy? Yes, is that a crime? No.

Now on to Bernie; but first let me point out that Bernie and Hillary don’t differ much if at all on most policies; at least not the important ones. They both want harsher gun laws, they both want universal health care, they both want free higher education (except Hillary doesn’t believe it should be free to Trumps kids or even her own for that matter). They both support funding Planned Parenthood and both support equal rights and pay for women.

Bernie in my mind is what my grandma used to call ‘poor proud’. Poor proud is someone who lives like they are poor to prove they are like those that are when in fact they are living poor by choice, without actually knowing the struggle of the lower class and without experiencing the fear of not being able to feed your kids or of becoming homeless. He chose to live in a Sugar shack in college that had no electricity, running waters and had dirt floors; but he did so by choice not because he had no other choice or resources. Don’t let his poor proud act fool you, not only does he make 174,000 dollars a year as a Senator and his wife go somewhere around a 200,000 dollars severance pay after stepping down as president of Burlington College; this was close to here yearly salary. I don’t know how much the Sanders are worth but they are definitely not middle class.

I don’t agree with his free education for all; for those who need it but not for all. I also believe that if he accomplishes this it will lower the quality of higher education; it will be comparable to the poor quality of public education now. This goes for his free medical universally as well. I believe he has the best of intentions but I think he is unrealistic and as my grandma would say…he is poor proud.

But like Hillary he stands for the equality of women, our right to choose, stricter gun laws, cleaner energy, stopping global warming and lowering taxes for the middle and lower class. I don’t know more about his foreign policy other than that he voted against the war in Iraq and he stands against nuclear weapons.

Hillary is the only candidate who understands what is going on in Syria, and the Middle East. She is the only one who knows Foreign policy from the inside. She has already established relationships with other foreign leaders, she has negotiated with them and she understands who they are and what they want and what they will do. I fear Bernie’s higher moral ground attitude will interfere with his policies and his diplomacy with foreign policy.

This is where the thought of Trump in office terrifies me. I am not so much concerned with what he will do to or in the United States, it is what he will do to this country on a global scale. His arrogant third grade attitude; name calling, his bigotry, his misogyny, his lack of understanding foreign policy and his just bomb them all attitude will destroy any and all relationships that have been built with countries like Japan and Russia. His homophobic, Islamaphobic and white supremacy will alienate all foreign peoples and their leaders.

And his support of the NRA will lead to more mass shootings and violent deaths than the already unacceptable rate it is already. His lack of basic manners and his direct political incorrectness; his point to offend; his bullying and his just plain bad manners will only not offend others like him. His reality show on the road to the White House is a testament to the overwhelming number of ignorant people who think Jerry Springer an awesome show.

Yes I will vote for Hillary, and yes the fact that she is a woman adds to her appeal. Not just any woman but a woman who will fight to end the violence and oppression of women world wide. That is the issue that is at the top of my list of wants as far as change in this world; and she alone will not stand on protocol or policy and back down from the fight to end the violence against women.

I have been told in response to my theory that Hillary and Bernie need to be each others running mates to guarantee a Democratic win; or more importantly a Republican/Trump loss that it will never happen because they differ too much in methodology, domestic policy and basic principles when it comes to economics. Most Bernie supporters state they would absolutely not vote for her if he doesn’t get it and I have been told that Bernie Bots will never under any circumstances vote for Hillary if she get the ticket and Bernie runs as her VP.

Even though if you really look at both of them they do not differ that much in philosophy or policy; their big divide is economic and financial principles, or what I see as moral high ground.

Basically the problem between them is that Hillary is Rich and Bernie prides himself; he is what my grandma used to call ‘poor proud’. He chooses to be poor and prides himself on not needing money; or at least not spending money. Because Bernie has money. His wife brings in over 200,000 dollars a year in pension money from Burlington College; he makes 174,000 a year as a Senator. Bernie has money; Hillary just has more; and Hillary spends more money, money that she takes from corporate donors. Donors Bernie is too proud to take money from, but not to proud to make a point; a campaign slogan out of it.

But are those couple of differences, there really only only those couple they stand solid on common ground virtually every where else; are those differences so important that taking that moral high ground would open the way for a Donald Trump Presidency then its time for Bernie Bots to get off their high horses and swallow that anti-corporate pride. Though Bernie would probably be riding a donkey as humble men are supposed to.

But this was before Trump actually became the Republican nominee; the jury is in on this one. What say ye now? Now will you come down from that pedestal so the entire country does not fall into the sewer; that moral cesspool that would be a Trump Presidency?

If not then you have not the courage of your convictions. If not you have not the interest of this country at heart. If not you are no better than than the white trash that will be in the White House if you stand tall on that moral high ground that is anti-Hillary.